Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney cracked a birther joke on Friday, underlining just how much his campaign is banking on the vote of white people.

Speaking in his native state of Michigan, Romney said, I love being home, in this place where Ann and I were raised. Where both of us were born. He then added, No ones ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised.

The Obama campaign fired back. In a statement, the campaign said, Throughout this campaign, Governor Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them. [...] But Governor Romneys decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America.

The joke played on the tired, long-discredited conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not born in America. More to the point, it reinforced the idea that nobody would or should ever question that Romney is a real American, because Mitt Romney is white.

Romneys joke is part of a recent chorus of racist dog-whistles emanating from the Romney campaign. In recent weeks, Romney has doubled down on ads attacking Obama for eliminating the work requirement for welfare, something Obama simply has not done. While the ads may be completely false, the ads play on old racist assumptions about welfare, ground that Republicans have been mining since before Ronald Reagan was talking about strapping young bucks buying steaks.

Romney also told supporters in July that members of the NAACP wanted free stuff, implying that Americas oldest civil rights group is just looking for handouts.

Romney has struggled to win support among non-white voters; indeed, a recent NBC poll showed him with literally no support among African Americans. So Romney apparently has decided to try to win by swinging enough older, white voters to win the election.

The move represents a last gasp for the Southern Strategy, in which Republicans use racial animosity to win support from southerners and blue-collar Democrats. The strategy, pioneered by President Richard Nixon in the late 1960s, ended up swinging the solid South from Democrats to Republicans; as Democrats booted racists from their party, Republicans welcomed them with open arms.

The strategy worked well for two generations, unquestionably helping Nixon, Reagan, and both Bushes to the presidency. With long-term demographic trends making the country more diverse, Republicans have been faced with either abandoning the strategy, tweaking it by reaching out to non-white voters, or trying to ride it until it falls apart completely.

Romney appears to have decided that his best chance is to try to campaign like its 1969. Even 20 years ago, it would be a valid, if evil, strategy. The question is whether enough racist white voters remain for Romneys racism to resonate, or whether the country has grown too diverse and too tolerant to fall for it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. When blacks vote for blacks it means they are proud. If whites vote for whites it means they are racist. I don’t care what the Lefist race-baiters call me, as long as they LOSE and LOSE BIG.

Somebody needs to post a picture of Mitt’s Dad marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a picture of the New Black Panther Party thugs threatening white voters in Philadelphia which Eric Holder refused to prosecute and ask which news photo better represents racism.

10
posted on 08/24/2012 8:05:50 PM PDT
by Vigilanteman
(Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)

Booted racists from the party and the republicans welcomed them? Name one.

He either lied about being born here or lied about being born in Kenya. Either way, he lied, Feckless.

I don’t know why they’re doing this. Could it be they need 100% of the black vote? Everyone who’s going to vote for obama have already decided. And calling republicans racists is not going sway someone who’s already swayed.

20
posted on 08/24/2012 8:20:50 PM PDT
by Terry Mross
(To all my relatives and former friends: Do not contact me if you still love obama.)

The race card was played early and has lost its’ effectiveness. Romney needs to keep up the pressure for Obammy’s background info. Let’s see the college transcripts, let’s see the passports. Keep playing the white card Mitt

Yeah, those chorus of "dog whistles" ( a much over-used phrase favored by libs): like working for a living---not relying on the government---re-invigorating business ...all those messages so abhorrent to libs. Basically, any Republican message that includes trying not to spend too much tax-payer money, working hard, obeying the law, and keeping America strong are "dog whistles" to nasty, white racists who otherwise would be voting for the communists they cherish so deeply.

The stupidity and illogic of libs never fails to amaze me. They actually think all the white racists would be voting for a black man if the nasty Republicans weren't sending out those dog whistles. "oh yeah", says a Klan member "if Romney hadn't sent out that dog whistle about working for a living, why me and the other Klan members would be voting for Obama." Sheer fecke-ing stupidity.

Yep and the way Romney cadged it, they may swing the door wide open to point out how little we really know about Obama and how much he has spent sealing colleg records and other tidbits that might reveal who he really is. I'm starting to think that Romney actually has a plan and the rocks to execute it to put the Great Deceiver out on the street.

39
posted on 08/25/2012 3:08:56 AM PDT
by trebb
("If a man will not work, he should not eat" From 2 Thes 3)

Anyone notice how Mitt cleverly bumped the whole narrative off Akin? Oh, and last I checked, a majority of Americans think Zero is a Muslim and close to a majority aren’t sure if he was born here. This is a winner, despite the racist whines.

40
posted on 08/25/2012 3:41:34 AM PDT
by LS
("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually (Hendrix))

Me too. I am tired of these folks that tap dance around the fact that blacks have all kinds of political representation as do Hispanics and other groups. They have specific race based political groups yet some whites run around in circles every time one of there ‘evil whites’ articles come out.

As a Mormon, Romney could point out that Eldridge Cleaver was more unqualified to run for president than Obama is to be one.

And, although Ronald Reagan did rename one horse from Baby to the unmentionable Uncle Remus word, he probably whispered "Baby"in both ears during jumps. Virginia Mayo, kiss, fake Confederate uniform, flag, and his horse in the background--it's enough to make you believe in reincarnation.

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